Page 103 of Unforgettable Player

An hour later, Mom calls Scout and Eli down for dinner. He sits in his usual seat, too far from me, but I allow it.

Last week, Eli made this amazing curry ramen for me and his dad. There was a real emotional vibe around the table and his dad got tears in his eyes at one point. But we ate it, and it was delicious, and afterward, he gave Elliot a big hug and thanked him.

My family clasp hands and close their eyes to say grace. I open mine and peek at Eli and find him doing the same.

I give him a wink before closing my eyes again and saying, “Amen.”

EPILOGUE

TWO YEARS LATER

ELLIOT

We shuffle into the arena, all dressed in warm coats with blue hockey jerseys underneath. Scout even wears her jersey sometimes around the house.

They all have Ryan and his number—38—on the back. I’m not even embarrassed to admit that it’s hot having a boyfriend who plays hockey and getting to wear his jersey. But it’s more than that. I’m proud of him, too, and I’m not the only one. Scout even wears her jersey sometimes around the house.

The fact that the team is in the playoffs despite ending the previous season at the bottom of the league is due largely to Worcester’s excellent scouts. Not only did they acquire two former NCAA stars this year, but a few overlooked, talented players fresh out of various junior leagues were added to the roster. Add some grizzled veterans into the mix and you have a recipe for success.

I come to as many games as I can. Scout usually comes with me and screams louder than anyone else. A genuine NHL star comes sometimes to watch his boyfriend play, so the team gets more media attention than other ECHL teams.

What I like most about the team, though, is how involved they are in the community. Connor loves that stuff, too. He seems to always be at outreach programs or visiting sick kids in the hospital. It gives him purpose outside of hockey and reminds him what’s important in life.

Even though Connor has said countless times that even reaching the playoffs this year was a bigger accomplishment than most people expected, I know he’ll want to go all the way. Of course he’ll be disappointed if they lose. It’s only natural. It’s game four and they need to win to progress. If they don’t, it’ll be a sweep and they’ll be out of the playoffs.

Connor’s family are on their feet, screaming for him the second the team is announced on the ice. Heat courses through my body when I look at him in his jersey and pads. It never gets any less thrilling, seeing him in his element.

The puck drops and the game gets started. There’s a full crowd in the arena tonight. The great thing about minor league hockey in Massachusetts is that there are plenty of hockey fans who appreciate the sport and they all want to be here watching it live.

I see familiar groups of older people who come to the game as a social event. Kids who hold up signs asking for pucks or players’ autographs. There’s an adorable little boy who worships Connor. He was sad he couldn’t get a poster of his favorite player to put on his wall, so the team started printing them and selling them at the merch stand. They sold out, along with the posters of his teammate Sebastian Huntington—who is good looking in the total opposite way that Connor is good looking. Sebastian also has a very popular TikTok account where he posts mostly thirst traps in the locker room and videos of the team doing hip openers on the ice with suggestive music playing in the background. No wonder those posters sold out.

Five minutes into the first period, Connor scores a goal. We’re all on our feet, alongside everybody else. I beam, watching Connor celebrate with his teammates before looking up into the stands and finding us.

I get suddenly warm all over, my face flushing. Scout leans over and says, “Puck bunny,” in my ear.

“Shut up.”

Worcester gets on the board again after a scrappy goal, tapped in by a veteran player—someone who took Connor under his wing when he first came to the team.

Our opponents—Savannah—get one in the net, bringing the score to 2-1. A collective groan echoes around us, but the crowd rally and start chanting to show some support to the team.

We manage to hold onto the lead as we go into the second period. It’s messy and the team is fighting tooth and nail to hang onto the lead, but when Savannah scores, it ties everything up going into the third.

“This is stressful,” Naomi says, running a hand through her hair.

“Relax,” Scout says between bites of nachos. “They’ve got this.”

She watches the cheerleaders absentmindedly as she eats.

“Honey, you should join the cheer team. You’d look so cute in that little outfit.”

Scout growls and Naomi holds her hands up in surrender. “Just a suggestion.”

The team comes out for the third period. The atmosphere in the arena is buzzing.

The period remains goalless for the first ten minutes, with a few close calls—one of which comes from Connor. Then Savannah gives up a penalty and we get a power play opportunity.

The Worcester coach throws his best forwards on the ice—Connor, Huntington and the veteran captain—but Savannah has a great penalty kill record and isn’t giving anything up easily.